Parking Study Will Help Shape Plaza

Yakima city officials are awaiting results of a major parking study that will help with the creation of a proposed plaza downtown.

Sean Hawkins, the city's economic development manager, says a Michigan company is looking at everything, including where employees of downtown businesses are parking.

We have a number of spaces that are good retail parking spaces but many times those spaces are taken up by employees who work downtown.

Hawkins says that leads to a perception there is not enough retail parking on any given day downtown. He says it is one of the biggest challenges for the city.

The parking study will help the city come up with a strategy to remove employee vehicles from the best parking spots while still assuring employees convenient and safe places to park.

The study is expected to be completed within the next three weeks.